North Stradbroke Island.
The last adventure for the car before it was time to part and move on from Queensland and what an adventure it took us on. We got the ferry across from Cleveland and I was a bit bemused to see trucks and normal cars getting on. I hadnt really done that much research on the island and therefore was totally unaware that there was tarmac roads connecting the three main communities on the island. We immediately headed North to the top of the island up one of these roads passing lush forest on the way and soon arriving on the beach at Point Lookout. The beach looked great, not the same whiteness as Fraser but as we later learned it is different sand that forms the two islands. I decided to let someone else do the driving and our Kiwi friend Greg was keen to have a bash. He did alright for someone who doesnt hold a manual license! It was good fun to be once again hurtling along the beach with the sea right there next to you. We headed along North beach to the community of Amity where Jaws was of course spotted and eventaully killed (not quite, same name though). Theres not much in Amity, a grocers and some houses and thats about it but this gave us the chance to turn the car around and head back along North beach to Point Lookout. Once there we headed to Whale Lookout, and luckily for us it is this time of year that the whales are breeding off the East Coast of Aus. I was lucky enough to see a great Humpback leap out of the water and come back down with a magnificent crash. The three of us then watched as either the same whale or other whales repeatedly breached the surface for air. It was brilliant, just brilliant. We headed down the track to Deadmans Beach and raced up the dunes, it near killed the three of us, maybe thats where it gets its name. We had our BBQ then headed to where according to the map there should have been a campsite near the North End of Main beach. There is no campsite and it turns out your not supposed to drive that far up the beach either for the sand is no longer suitable for 4WD vehicles. We managed to get a few 100yds along the beach before getting bogged, seriously bogged, so bogged in fact that no matter how many times we dug the tyres out or let the air out of them, we just couldnt get moving. All the while the tide was coming in, still 2 hours till high tide! Mike frantically ran back into town to look for help whilst Greg and I watched as the waves got nearer and nearer. I was resigned to losing the car to the sea, which was made much worse by the fact we had just sold it that day over the phone. Luckily Mike got help and a hero of the greatest proportions was able to drive the car, very slowloy out of the hole that we had it in, only minutes after 2/3 waves had lapped the front wheels. What a man, what a great and wonderful man who obviously knows a lot more about sand driving than I do. We parked up where it was safe to do so and made camp for the night. The next day the sun shone and we had some of the best off roading along the back of the dunes that the car had probably ever seen. The island is teeming with Kangaroos and you really do have to watch for them bounding across your path whilst your wrestling with the wheel to get round a sharp bend. There was also a number of gorgeous Sea Eagles for me to whatch and try and capture on camera. The best thing though was after napping on the beach, awakening to the sight of mother and calf humpback breaching for air no further than 300m offshore. That has honestly made my Australian trip, what a wonderful sight. We visited both Blue Lake (where I went for a swim depsite it being like ice) and Brown Lake and whilst they are not as picturesque as Lake McKenzie on Fraser, they are both very pretty in their own ways. The second night we parked inland behind a dune and Greg managed to get a fire going with only his two hands and a couple of sticks which was very impressive. Took the 4WD track that cuts right through the island on the last day, the views from the top of it are ace. Could see right to the Gold Coast and right our into the South Pacific Ocean, quite stunning and spectacluar. Whilst Straddie is not Fraser and its unfair really to compare the two of them, it was an excellent little adventure for the car to finish with. The scenary might not be as beautiful or as breathtaking as the larger island but the abundance of wildlife is similar (swap dingoes for kangaroos) and the offroading tracks behind the dunes and right through the heart of the island are just as much if not more fun. A great way to end our time in Brisbane, loved it and what an adventure it turned out to be, with a little (large) bit of luck on the way!!